30.3.10

A little while ago I received mail from a local high school. Enclosed was a letter from a student attending there that my husband and I have the privilege of serving with weekly in children's ministry. The first paragraph in this letter included the following statement, "important people in my life." At reading this I was overwhelmed. This particular student has always been "too old" to be in children's ministry for as long as my husband and I have been involved, and yet, we were included in the list of "important people."

A few Sunday's ago, before church started, Matt and I were talking with some friends of ours, while their three young girls patiently waited. After our conversation, as we were preparing to head to our seats, one of their daughters asked if she could sit with us. During the course of praise and worship, their other two children ended up standing with us as well.

About a week ago, I went to listen to a certain grade six boy as his school band played at the local music festival. As I sat in theater waiting for them to begin playing this grade six boy proceeded to wave and flash the biggest smile ever.

1.3.10

Often times I magnify my life to extreme proportions where nothing else matters...NOTHING (no one else would ever do this though...right?).For example, if I'm having a bad day, and I'm really busy, and not feeling good, and my house is a mess, and my laundry basket if overflowing, and there's so much going on at work, you better believe that there is no one worse off then me.

HA!

Recently, I was challenged to re-evaluate my thinking. It all started when I was at my hairdressers (ever noticed how some of the best conversations happen in that chair?), and through various other conversations over the course of that weekend a common theme came up...life really isn't THAT bad...or at least not as bad as we tend to think it is. I mean, really, is anything that I'm facing that brutal? There are people in other countries who have literally lost everything and need to rebuild from scratch the lives they once enjoyed (ie: Haiti and Chile).

The whole, "woe is me" act that I tend to pull, is just that...an act.

The problem is that I've reduced my world to include...me. It's all about me. The only things that matter are me, my husband, our home, our jobs...And the real problem is that the world is so much bigger.

What a humbling thought, to think that I'm actually NOT at the center of the universe.

When I take time to think about the children's song, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," I can't help but be in awe. Here I am, complaining about my teeny, tiny problems, mean while, God's listening, while holding the whole freaking world in His hands. And yet He doesn't brush me off, saying, "Catherine, I've got far bigger things to deal with." (in the same manner that I would respond to those in my world)

Ultimately, it all comes down to two simple (yet, not easy) commandments, "Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with with all your soul. Love him with all your mind," and "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39)

When I get my life in line with these two commandments, my world almost instantly grows, and suddenly everything isn't about me and my "huge" problems.

How big is my world? Hopefully big enough to include more then just me.